The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-19
The Ravens, Message.

W
Al the door of II log hut on small.
rocky islet In the middle Of the Rhone.
ii do hope nothing has happened to
him; he's so terribly venturesome since
ne got boat OF his own"
Pooh, p5ohr' answered her husband.
"He II come back all right, never fear.
It's only proper that my boy should be
ferryman like his father. and so he
must learn to manage boat. See yon-
Ter he comes, rowing like any boat
w."
Iut whatever has he brought with
cried Nine. Lenoir, In amaze
IWhat, indeedP AT first sight, the
the sturdy little twclvc-yearold. who
came Swimming toward them
across the broad, shining stream. APP
oeared to be wearing huge, black
overcoat, torn almost in two. But a
second glance showed the strange OBJ
Jet TO be u raven nearly as big as him
self, which hung loosely over his
shoulders, as if dead or badly hurt
"See what I've got. mother" cried
ne, gleefully, II found'it in the wood
yonder, with its wing broken. AT first
/ snapped at me and wouldn't let me
ouch it, but it's quiet enough now.
In't it big onep"
"Oh, you dreadful boyr" cried his
bother What do you think we're
Foing to do with great ugly thing
nike that about the houseP And who's
going to feed it, prayP"
"Why, mother. you know you al
ways say that this house of ours on the
ISLAND is just like an ark; and Noah
had raven in his ark that he used to
send flying about. and why should't wei
Besides. we can teach him to carry
messages for us. like that one that
Father Gregoire told us about the other
gy."
We'll, there's something in that"
said Jean Lenoir, laughing, land as
for feeding. raven can pick up his
own living any day; and besides, we
have always plenty of odds and ends Of
fish. Bring him in, my boy, and Wen
see what can be done with him.
The broken wing soon healed, and
in few months Pierre's raven (named
"Christopiier, in honor of the ferry
mans patron sainD had become ia
nous through the whole countryside
Many bright silver franc did Pierre
pick up at the village fairs by making
the bird 20 through the tricks which
he had taught IL; and when once it had
learned to carry messages, the people
along the river gave it 80 many that
the postman used often to threaten it
jokingly with summons before the
magistrates for taking away his BUSH
ness
Even Pierres mother got reconciled
to the great ugly thing at last; more
especially as the good priest Of the
parish, Father Gregoire. was very fond
of il. and never came to see them with
: bringing something good in his
pocket for our friend Christopher.
Sometimes, indeed, AS soon as the
kind clergyman's black cassock and
broad hat were seen on the opposite
bank, little Pierre would point and call
out, Food Chrislopher!' And the
raven, shooting like an arrow across
the river, would perch on the priest s
shoulder and thrust his great, black bill
into the old mans pocket in search of
food which he was always sure to find
there. ar
So matters went till one night in the
early Spring. when Jean Lenoir, CON-
ing home tired after hard days
work, paused for moment, as he got
out OF his boat, 10 notice strange,
leaden dimness that overhung the
hills along the eastern sky.
1T must be raining hard up in the
mountains" said he to himself, and
then thought no more about it.
But at daybreak next morning he
awakened from dream of being at
sea in storm, which seemed strangely
real after he was broad awake. Doors
we're banging. windows rafting,
.imbers crcaking and grooming,
mingled with q roaring and dashing as
\ Niagara had been let loose close to
his ear. Hardly knowing what he did.
be sprang to the door and threw it
open, and Instantly startedA back as II